What is consistency and why is it important? Does anyone really care?
Let's take a look at what inconsistency looks like. You can see a better example in the video below, but for the purposes of reading on screen, look at this paragraph:
Consistency in writing is maintaining a f l o w such that there are no
breaks
to interrupt the read or distract. If an important message needs to be delivered and there are bumps in the process which confuse, cause question, throw off the eyes, then the message potentially gets lost. Ultimately, inconsistency causes doubt.
Reading the above paragraph as it is formatted is distracting. Sure, the message might eventually get across, but might need a degree of deciphering. There is no need to make the read a difficult task. Your screenplay should not be a test. You want your story to clearly lead the way for the reader.
For a screenplay to display inconsistent writing and uses of convention, this is a sure way to lose respect and attention from the reader. This is a dire situation if your script sits in the hands of a Hollywood Reader who represents your doorway to success.
Let's take a look a a few examples.
Scene Headings
Scene Headings are commonly inconsistent in client submitted screenplays. Take a look at the below script example.
The INCONSISTENCY is in the use of the punctuation in the scene heading. The convention used in the first interior location is different to the convention used in the second exterior location.
The "periods" in the first scene heading are swapped for a "hyphen" in the second scene heading. NOTE that we are not discussing which of the two is best to use, but more that you stick with ONE option throughout your entire screenplay to maintain consistency.
This is important as it prevents the reader getting confused about whether the writer thinks they mean something else by changing between periods and hyphens. It is also distracting, and the reader soon gets to a point where they wonder which convention will be used on the next scene location, and thus no longer be invested in your story.
Just remember that regardless of whether you choose hyphens (dashes), periods (dots), or some other divider, the initial INT or EXT (interior or exterior) must always be followed by a period and then a space.
Character Names
This mistake is another we see a lot of in client screenplays.
Carefully check the character names for Mike through the dialog and action description and you can see the inconsistency. The problem is that this implies there could be three characters here. It is entirely possible for a story to have both a "Michael" and also a "Mike" feature in it.
Furthermore, if your action description refers to Michael, then which one is reacting (acting) in the scene?
Keep to the same name consistently throughout your screenplay, and don't revert between a nickname and the full name. If your characters refer to your main character as "Mike" then use that identity in the action description too.
You never want the situation where a reader loses the thread because they are spending time trying to work out who's who.
A few mistakes within a hundred pages or so might be excusable, but a consistent misuse of scene heading or grammatical errors will annoy any reader, industry gatekeeper or not.
So keep in mind that consistency will eradicate any sense of doubt in the reader's mind and thus bring clarity to your screenwriting and ensure a greater chance of success as your story can shine through without barriers.